


Countdown

by stupidthinker



Series: What's With These One-sided Love [1]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9790706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidthinker/pseuds/stupidthinker
Summary: "I think I'm starting to like you more than a friend, Jinyoung."Jinyoung was given three days to determine what Jaebum meant to him. Wrong answer, and he would regret it for life.





	1. Before Countdown (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Another story out of my impulsive streak again. The first time it becomes a chaptered story though hahaa. Enjoy reading :))

"I think I'm starting to like you more than a friend, Jinyoung."

The confession was the last thing Jinyoung thought would come out from his best friend's mouth when Jaebum called this morning, asking to see him at the coffee shop they frequently visited. It was too sudden, too unexpected that he just sat on his seat with his eyes widened and mouth gaping open, temporarily losing his capability to speak. Fortunately he already put down the cup of americano he just drank, or else he might have to go home with his clothes stained brown.

Suddenly Jaebum laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach. It caught Jinyoung by surprise too, but this time he was mad.  
"Are you joking with me? If you do, you're taking it too far. It's not funny."

Jaebum's laugh slowly calmed down. "Of course not. Sorry, your expression was too hilarious, I can't help it. Is it that surprising?"  
"Of course it is. You suddenly say that out of nowhere."

Jaebum chuckled. "Okay, sorry for that. But I'm serious with my confession."  
Again, Jinyoung felt like his tongue was locked. Mixed feelings filled his heart. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. So he casted his eyes down, fingers playing with the cup's handle, letting the silence slowly tightened around him until Jaebum broke it.

"So what do you think? Should I let it deepened or should I stop it from growing?" His face was serious, no sign of the earlier laughter evident in his voice and his expression.

Jinyoung contemplated over the question. He really didn't want to hurt his best friend. He didn't have the heart to tell the other to stop, as if he was disregarding his feelings. The guilt would always haunt him until only God knows when. And now that he thought about it, actually he didn't even sure if he really didn't like Jaebum more than a friend. He just never thought much about his feelings for the other until now, he just knew that he was very fond of him, and Jaebum had always been an important existence for him. There was a possibility that he actually like Jaebum more than he thought before, he just hadn't realized it. If he told him to stop, he might regret it.

On the other hand, what if he let Jaebum's feelings grew and he found out that he couldn't like him romantically? It would just hurt the other more, bringing his hope up and slamming it down. It would break their friendship, and he didn't want to lose Jaebum forever. All of this uncertainty frustated him, it made him felt like he was about to go crazy. He even have the urge to pull out every single strand of his hair and scream hysterically. He couldn't decide now.

"Can you give me some time to think it over?" Jinyoung said. He could feel the other sensing the distress he felt inside. Jaebum sighed.

"Alright, I'll give you three days. Give me your answer on my birthday."

Jinyoung looked at Jaebum with terror. "What? Three days? Isn't it too soon?"

"I want to know whether I have hope or not before my feelings for you grow too deep, and for your information, it's growing quite fast. So three days is long enough."

It's reasonable, and Jinyoung couldn't find any words to argue. So he took a deep breath, calming himself. "Okay. On your birthday, then."

"Yeah. Now it's up to you whether you would give me your heart or break my heart as my birthday present." Jaebum said with his signature smirk, his playfulness back. And Jinyoung just wanted to throw his cup to that annoying smirk.


	2. Countdown Begins (D-2)

Jinyoung got off the bus and dragged his feet to his class with additional bags under his eyes beside the one slung on his shoulder this morning. He stayed up all night until dawn, feeling too restless to sleep after hearing Jaebum’s confession. He had been thinking hard, and the fact that he still didn’t have the answer he needed made him frustrated. He felt anxiousness crawling in, didn’t know how to face the boy today. That was why he was still fidgeting in front of the door to his classroom, too afraid to get in.

_What should I do? What should I say to him? What kind of face I should wear? What if we become awkward with each other? What if…_

“Hey, what are you doing here, blocking the door?”

The familiar voice made Jinyoung jump, startled. He turned around to see the source of his distress since the day before standing next to him, smiling.

“You’re not going in?”

“Y-yeah, I’m about to.” Jinyoung cursed himself inside for failing to hide his nervousness. But he never expected to hear a chuckle coming out from the other boy.

“You’re so amusing, Jinyoung,” Jaebum said with his usual lopsided smirk while ruffling the other’s hair, and his face did look like he was so amused it annoyed Jinyoung.

“Stop teasing me!” Jinyoung yelled. Jaebum’s smirk grew into a wide grin as he said, “Why? It’s cute.”

Jinyoung just stared at his best friend as he walked into their classroom, dumbfounded by his words. When what the boy had said finally sank in, blush started to creep into his cheeks. He ran to hit Jaebum before sitting on a vacant seat two rows from the back of the room. He could hear him laughed wholeheartedly, staining his cheeks with deeper shade of red than before. It didn’t stop even when Jaebum sat next to Jinyoung.

“Stop laughing!” Jinyoung said with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, kicking the other’s chair.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jaebum rose his hands up with a mischievous grin. Jinyoung looked away, sulking.

He knew he was being childish, but he couldn’t help getting embarrassed by his own and mad by Jaebum’s indifference. _How can he act like nothing happened while I can’t even get a proper sleep last night thanks to him? Does he really like me? I feel like a fool thinking hard about him._

“Here, don’t sulk, I’ll give you this.”

Jinyoung felt something plastic tapping his shoulder. When he turned to look at the object, his eyes widened and sparkled with astonishment, forgetting the anxiety he felt before. It was the newest album from his favorite singer. He had been waiting for it to be available on record store since its release a few days back.

“When did you get this? How?”

“I stopped by a record store on my way home yesterday, and saw the shopkeeper putting it on display. It reminded me of you, so I bought it. I’m so generous, don’t you think?” Jaebum said with a smug smile, looking so proud that he managed to amaze the other.

“Of course, you’re the best!” Jinyoung leaped from his chair to hug Jaebum without thinking.

“I know, I know,” Jaebum said, patting the excited boy on his back. “So do you like me now?”

Jinyoung stiffened at that. He quickly pulled himself back, only to find Jaebum wearing his mischievous smile. He was teasing him again.

“I hate you!” Jinyoung said, irritated. He sat back on his seat again with a pout. He could hear his so-called best friend laughing again. Jaebum knew the sulking boy would never hate him no matter how much he was teasing him, and it irked Jinyoung because it was true.

Then he looked at the CD in his grip. Jaebum had always been this way, gentle and thoughtful, veiling it with his playfulness so he wouldn’t think much of his kindness. And he did, until now. Now he realized that every caring gesture he never thought much of wasn’t something he normally did to his other friends. He thought he understood his best friend well, turned out there was so many things he hadn’t grasped yet.

Jinyoung was fidgeting with his fingers, wondering whether he should say it or not before saying with a faint voice, “Thank you.” He looked up to find the other smiling at him with such a soft expression, contrasting to his mischievous one before, and Jinyoung’s heart only started to beat again when their lecturer entered the room a few seconds later.

 

\--

 

Jinyoung could feel the warmth of familiar hand lightly stroking his hair as consciousness slowly returned to him. Apparently he failed to stay awake throughout the lecture, and now his arm had fallen asleep along with him from bearing his head’s weight with addition of the pain on the back of his neck from being stretched. He was about to open his eyes and groan when he felt a flow of breath brushed by, and something else other than the hand on his temple over his hair, about as warm yet softer. A pair of lips.

Jinyoung lost the right time to open his eyes. If he did now, it would be so awkward. He wondered how long he had to ‘stay asleep’, but Jaebum answered the question for him.

“You can open your eyes now, Jinyoung. It’s so obvious that you’re already awake.”

It snapped both Jinyoung’s eyes open wide, and he abruptly straightened up. He could feel his face getting hotter along with Jaebum’s chortle. He felt so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole and buried himself there forever.

“The lecture is already over. You don’t have another class after this, right? Let’s find something to eat.”

Jinyoung didn’t say anything, he just put all his things inside his bag and walk away, wanting to escape the classroom as soon as possible. Jaebum ran to walk alongside him.

“What do you want to eat? How about galbitang?”

Jinyoung stopped walking and stared at the boy beside him in disbelief. How can he act like nothing happened? But he knew just how stubborn his friend was, so he just sighed and surrendered.

“Okay.”

Jinyoung felt like he needed to squint his eyes from how bright Jaebum’s smile was, and it also made the corner of his mouth slightly pulled up. A moment later, they arrived at the store they frequently went to and ordered the usual before they fall silent. Jaebum still wore that broad smile of his. Jinyoung suddenly blurted out what had been in his mind, what he just realized today.

“You seriously like me, huh?”

It wasn’t that he doubted Jaebum when he said he like him yesterday. He knew Jaebum never lied, being a straightforward person he is. He just realized that it might actually be deeper than just a crush, like he thought before. Jaebum’s smile was still there, but the glee in his eyes shifted into uneasiness.

“Yeah.”

“Since when?” The curiosity had been itching Jinyoung’s mind for a while.

“If you ask me since when I like you, even I don’t know the answer to that. If you ask me since when I become aware that I like you, it’s simple. It’s one day around mid-December when we went skiing. You fell hard sliding down on your butt and you’re laughing. You’re wearing red knitted hat and scarf, with a really thick white parachute jacket. You’re so adorable, and I like the sound of your laugh. I realized I’ve always found you endearing, and I like being with you, and I want to continue being with you. So… that’s when.”

Jaebum smiled gently as if he was reminiscing that embarrassing moment while Jinyoung’s cheek were flushed red again remembering that. _Just how many times I blush because of him today?_

“Why do you like me?”

“Well, I just like you. Do you really need detailed reason to like someone? I just like you because my heart, my mind, my brain, my body, everything within me told me so.”

Jaebum’s straightforwardness was a part of him that Jinyoung appreciated but hated sometimes, because at times like this it made him at loss of words. Fortunately he was saved by the waiter bringing their order.

“Okay, let’s eat.” Jaebum said.

And they ate in silence again as Jinyoung contemplating over the things Jaebum just said.

 

\--

 

Jinyoung’s frustrated groan echoed inside his room. He had been sitting before his laptop for more than an hour without making progress for his essay because his mind kept on wandering to Jaebum. He stood up and threw himself on his bed, giving up on trying to write his essay tonight.

He snickered at himself, finding it funny how one confession from Jaebum could make him overly conscious of the boy. Maybe that confession was the one thing that mattered the most. If not for Jaebum’s confession, maybe he would never realize the other’s feelings, being the thickheaded person he was, and never even try to analyse his feelings for him.

Jaebum had always been his best friend since they entered college. They’re more different than similar, they had different taste almost in everything. The clothes they wore, the music they listened to, the way they do things. Jinyoung often sugarcoated his words because he didn’t want to hurt others, while Jaebum always had his way of being blunt without hurting others, and it amazed Jinyoung. Jaebum hate people talking in roundabout ways or having hidden meaning behind their words, so Jaebum became the only person he could always be blunt to, and maybe that was why Jinyoung felt so comfortable with him.

Being with Jaebum was easy, and he learnt so many things because of him. Jaebum influenced him to read. He never really interested in reading, however after meeting Jaebum, almost all of his spare time spent with a book on his hands. Most of the books he read were Jaebum’s recommendation, and he was grateful Jaebum always took the time to pick a book he might like and lent it to him. It wasn’t always Jaebum’s own, sometimes he borrowed it from somewhere for himself, and if he thought Jinyoung might like it, he would lent it to him. And Jinyoung was always excited to expect what kind of book Jaebum would introduce him to.

Jaebum was such an important person to him, that’s why he considered his feelings seriously and pondered over his decision carefully. But it was so difficult, and it felt like his mind and heart were about to burst from being overworked. So he turned off the lamp and forced himself to sleep, not wanting to risk falling asleep in class again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to update as soon as possible after the short prologue. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it :))


	3. Countdown Runs (D-1)

The moment Jinyoung finally caught the sight of Jaebum that day, a boy was clinging on him. The two classes he attended earlier were different from Jaebum, so he only got to see him now. The stranger talked excitedly with his arm slung over Jaebum’s shoulder. His best friend didn’t seem to mind him being so touchy, he just laughed over what the other boy said. Jinyoung just stood at where he was, finding himself couldn’t take his eyes away from the two. Something began to burn inside him.

Only standing there, of course Jaebum would see him eventually, no matter how much he didn’t want to be seen. He found himself unable to smile unless he forced it out when Jaebum called his name.

“Hey, let me introduce you with this guy,” The stranger had already put his arm down, but now it was Jaebum’s turn to put his arm on the other’s shoulder. “This is Jackson. And Jackson, this is Jinyoung.”

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Jackson said, holding his hand out. He was slightly shorter than Jinyoung, and he had a weird accent when he talked. Jinyoung could feel energy radiating from the boy as he smiled brightly, contrasted to his all black clothes from hat to shoes. Jinyoung hesitantly nodded and shook his hand. “Yeah, me too.”

Jackson turned to Jaebum, whispered something to his ear and laughed when Jaebum suddenly redden all the way to his ears. It was the first time Jinyoung saw him blushed. _How can Jaebum react that way to him when he said he likes me?_

The thought left him shocked that he was frozen for a moment. He stayed that way until Jackson cheerfully bid goodbye and left. Worried Jaebum would notice that he was acting strangely, he tried to start a conversation.

“His accent is kinda weird, is he a foreigner?”

“Yeah, he is from Hong Kong. It’s only been a year since he came, and I’ve been helping him in his Korean assignments for a while now. He’s fun, kinda noisy though,” Jaebum chuckled. The fondness in Jaebum’s voice as he was talking about Jackson made Jinyoung lost his will to continue the conversation. Jinyoung despised the pettiness that grew inside of him. He didn’t even know whether he liked Jaebum or not, and here he was acting like Jaebum was already his.

“You seem really close despite the short time you know each other.”

“I like how he clings to me. It feels like having a little brother that following you around.”

 _A little brother,_ Jinyoung thought with relief. He didn’t even realize the faint smile that was formed by his lips.

“What, are you jealous?” There it was again, Jaebum’s signature smirk. Jinyoung knew many found it charming, but sometimes for him it was just annoying. Like now, when he made him flustered and his cheeks burned. _Why do I easily get red around Jaebum these days?_

“No! I just curious, that’s all.”

“It’s okay if you are, you know. That gets me over the moon.” Jaebum grinned.

“I’m not, so stop it!” Jinyoung turned and walk away, leaving Jaebum by himself. He knew he would meet him again inside the classroom, since they got the same lecture after this, but he just couldn’t stand being with him at the moment. His embarrassment, however, failed to erase the smile from his face.

 

\--

 

“I’ll accompany you.”

“You’ll just get bored there, Jaebum. I’ll just focus on my laptop and ignore you.” Jinyoung was going to work on the essay he didn’t manage to do the night before at the library, thinking the atmosphere might help him to concentrate. However, if the source of his distraction were to tag along, he was worried it would be all in vain.

“I just want to be with you longer. This might be the last day I could have the excuse of being with you not as a mere friend, but as someone who had feelings for you.” Jaebum looked down at his feet taking step by step, again with his ability of sticking glue on Jinyoung’s tongue with his bluntness. And they walked to the library in silence with the words hung heavy in Jinyoung’s mind.

They chose a seat near the window, where the warm sunlight went in. Instead of sitting across Jinyoung, Jaebum sat silently beside him for hours, not making any noise. It made him felt restless at first, feeling Jaebum’s gaze on him all the time, but he eventually managed to ignore it and concentrate on his essay. By the time he finished, the sky was already tinted with pink and orange. He stretched his body and found Jaebum slept using his bag on the desk as a pillow, his head turned to him. He looked so peaceful and innocent, which Jinyoung knew wasn’t true with the way he was always teasing him. The sight, however, still brought smile to Jinyoung’s face.

Jinyoung instinctively reached out to stroke Jaebum’s cheek, his thumb accidentally brushed the corner of the other’s lips. Jinyoung surprised himself wondering how would it feel to kiss him. _Should I try it?_ Jinyoung thought, _maybe it would give me better understanding on my feelings._

Jinyoung slowly moved closer to Jaebum. With every inch he took, his heart beat faster. He felt his hands started shaking. And when his lips finally touched Jaebum’s, his heart felt lighter despite beating like hummingbird flapping its wings trying to fly out to the sky, along with funny fluttering feelings in his stomach.

He quickly pulled away, confused by the storm of feelings inside him. He had kissed before, but he wasn’t sure he had felt that way before when he did. _Does it mean I like him?_ It was more likely, but he still wasn’t confident of that conclusion. What if it was just an excitement of kissing someone new? Someone he already knew for long but never thought of kissing?

The rustling sound from beside him disturbed his thought. He quickly started to gathered his things and put it on his bag. Jaebum yawned.

“Are you finished?” Jaebum asked, sleep still evident in his voice.

“Yeah.” Jinyoung set his eyes anywhere but on Jaebum. He couldn’t look at Jaebum. He couldn’t imagine what if Jaebum knew that he just stole a kiss from him when he was asleep. He didn’t want to bring his hope up while he didn’t even understand his own feelings. He only wished Jaebum wouldn’t caught his anxiety.

“Sorry, I fell asleep when I was the one who wanted to tag along.” Jinyoung could hear him rubbing his eyes.

“It’s okay. Let’s go home.”

“Wait.” Jaebum tugged Jinyoung’s wrist as he was about to stand. Jinyoung sat back on his seat, confused. He still couldn’t bring himself to look at Jaebum, so he couldn’t even try to read his expression. But he forgot it when he heard what Jaebum said.

“Let me accompany you home.”

Jinyoung’s eyes widen at that, and he looked at Jaebum, too stunned by his request. His apartment was only about ten minutes distance from their campus on foot while Jinyoung had to ride a bus for thirty minutes to his house. He was about to refuse when he saw plea in Jaebum’s eyes, and what he had said before suddenly came to mind.

_“I just want to be with you longer. This might be the last day I could have the excuse of being with you not as a mere friend, but as someone who had feelings for you.”_

It made it hard to refuse Jaebum. So he nodded, and he saw Jaebum’s worried expression broke into a gentle smile.

 

\--

 

When they get on the bus, the seat was nearly filled. Luckily they managed to get a seat at the back. Jinyoung sat by the window, and Jaebum beside him. Again the silence engulfed them, before Jaebum pulled an earphone from his bag and plugged it to his phone. He put one of the speakers in his ear, and surprised Jinyoung when he put the other one in his. Music started to flow through his left ear as he looked at the other side of the window, and he slowly began to feel relaxed. Only now he realized he had been anxious all the while. Maybe that was why Jaebum did it, because he noticed it faster than he did.

Jaebum had always been thoughtful towards him, despite his tendency to tease him. These days, however, he felt his heart fluttered a little everytime Jaebum being thoughtful to him. Since the day Jaebum confessed to him, to be precise. That really changed the way Jinyoung see Jaebum, even though he knew he was still the same.

He felt something suddenly fell on his shoulder. He was startled, and he turned to see what it was. And he found Jaebum sleeping again, his head leaned on his shoulder. _He was so tired, yet he still stubbornly wanted to accompany me._

He felt pity for the other, yet he also felt moved by the gesture. He felt really blessed to be loved so much by such a person. And suddenly he caught the lyric of the song that was played at that moment

 _Cause you make the darkness less dark_  
_You make the edges less sharp_  
 _You make the winter feel warmer_  
 _And you make my weakness less weak_  
 _You make the bottom less deep_  
 _You make the waiting feel shorter_  
 _You make my crazy feel normal, every time_  
 _You are the who, love is the what, and this is the why_

 _Is that what I’ve been feeling? Love? Because that's all the reason why he is my best friend,_ Jinyoung thought to himself. He found himself staring at Jaebum’s sleeping face for the rest of the ride, and a few minutes before they reached their destination, he felt Jaebum stirred awake. He quickly turned to look outside again.

“Sorry, I fell asleep again.”

“It’s okay.” Jinyoung pretended like he never thought of passing his stop if Jaebum didn’t wake up, and they didn’t say anything until it was time for them to get down.

“You better go straight home.” Jinyoung stopped Jaebum before he walked out the bus stop. Jaebum’s face fell down.

“Why? We haven’t reached your house yet.”

“You seem so tired, Jaebum. Don’t force yourself.”

“But…”

“I’ll stay here until you get to the bus.” Jinyoung stayed firm. Jaebum sighed.

“Okay.”

Not long after the bus came, and Jinyoung waved Jaebum goodbye. He then walked home, suddenly feeling lonely even though he had been walking the way home by himself all the time without feeling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyric is taken from Jesse Ruben's song titled This Is Why I Need You. It's such a great song with the right amount of coffee and sugar, it keeps playing in my mind. Hope you will like this chapter :))


	4. Countdown Halts (Interlude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short peek at how Jaebum feel.

"I think I'm starting to like you more than a friend, Jinyoung."

Jaebum finally had the courage to say that. It was, of course, a lie, since he had started to feel it long ago and it had even grew from a mere crush to love. He still grew anxious his stomach churned seeing Jinyoung reaction, even when he had already expected that, and he laughed it off instead of vomiting.

He had been in misery since he realized he fell in love with his own best friend. He had hoped to end it today, whether it would be acceptance or rejection. But he never expected that Jinyoung would give him a chance. A chance for a possibility of his love would be returned, and he had to make Jinyoung realized it within three days.Three days were short, he knew, but he didn't want to prolong his misery more than necessary, and if he didn't have any hope left he wanted to know it soon.

It was still a chance, however, so he chose to pushed forward, always be straightforward about his feelings since there was already no use of hiding it anymore. He did whatever he wanted to do without holding back. It didn't matter if he couldn't get any sleep for two days straight because of the anxiety he felt, and he seemed to miss Jinyoung even more than before, wanting to be with him as much as he could, when there was still a possibility of him being rejected, and he would need to erase his feelings. So he did.

He only managed to sleep when he was with Jinyoung, too comfortable and happy to be with him, and he felt like peacefulness seeped through him as Jinyoung's face graced his eyes, easing his anxiety and lulling him to sleep. And he felt like he had his hope soaring up high when Jinyoung seemed to be jealous of Jackson, and he even kissed him while he slept. Not to mention his cute reactions. It made his stomach filled with butterflies, and he started to believe that Jinyoung actually felt the same way as him. He slept with a wide smile that night.

Of course, there was still a possibility of Jinyoung's rejection. However, he would never expected Jinyoung to break his heart in such a cruel way at the promised day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never thought of writing this interlude before, but all of sudden I wanted to write it, because I just like Jaebum so much hahaaa. Hope you'd like it :))


	5. Countdown Ends (D-Day)

Jinyoung was woken up by a blaring noise. He groaned, getting annoyed before remembering that it was the alarm he had set on his phone before he slept. He rarely did that because it irritated him to be awoken by the loud ring of an alarm. However, he was afraid he couldn’t wake up on time this morning, that was why.

He reached out his hand, searching for his phone to turn it off. He rubbed his eyes in a futile attempt to chase the sleep away. Only when he found a notification for a chat message Jaebum sent him on his phone did he open his eyes wider. His heart started beating faster, wondering what he wrote. He opened it.

**How about dinner with me tonight? Let me hear your answer then.**

The answer, right. Today was the promised day. Not that he forgot it, he could never. He stayed up until dawn again, his mind being filled with one person who had caused him headache for these past three days. And he still hadn’t found it. There was still hesitation itching in the back of his mind. But he couldn’t escape it, so he replied his chat message with an okay.

He had two lectures today, one in the morning, and the other after lunch time. Jaebum actually took the same lecture as his last, so he wondered a bit why he asked him for dinner instead of lunch. He thought Jaebum would’ve prefer to get his answer as soon as possible, but seemed like it wasn’t the case.

He dragged himself out of bed, and fifteen minutes later he found himself sitting on the same seat position he sat on the night before on the bus that was taking him to campus. He held himself from looking at the seat beside him, which was occupied by a different person from the one he had in mind. He didn’t understand why he wanted to do that, he couldn’t even get why he wanted to sit on that seat in the first place. _God, am I that much of a dumb, unable to understand my own self?_ Jinyoung sighed.

He reached his class right on time, and spent the hours drawn deep into his thought. No words from his lecturer could break into his mind. He snapped back into reality when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He looked around to find the class was almost empty already, and he saw Jiwoo standing beside him, looking at him with concern.

“Are you alright?”

He was already embarrassed enough for getting caught daydreaming, and having Jiwoo near him didn’t help. He used to have a crush for her, making him all the more embarrassed.

“Um, yeah, I’m just… worried over something. Nothing big.” Jinyoung said trying to pull a smile, hoping it wasn’t weird.

“Okay then.” Jinyoung started to gather his thing and he realized Jiwoo hadn’t make any move to leave. When he turned to look at her, he found her fidgeting on her feet.

“Do you need something?” Jinyoung asked. Jiwoo looked like she was hesitating, but then she seemed to make up her mind.

“I want to tell you something...”

 

\--

 

Jaebum had a restless sleep, and found himself waking up earlier than his alarm feeling like he hadn’t sleep at all. Today was his birthday, but he didn’t know if it would become his best or worst one. It was all depended on Jinyoung, and the answer he would give him.

He went to his morning class feeling like a mess, all nervous and sleepy, again. Missing Jinyoung even though he just saw him the night before didn’t help. He couldn’t control his feelings it made him crazy. And he couldn’t see him before his afternoon class. He was about to go insane.

He knew he could end all of this sooner if he just asked for Jinyoung’s answer at lunch. But a part of his heart was afraid of hearing it. He already pulled out all his courage to hear whatever Jinyoung would give him when he confessed, and it was hard to gather the same amount of it again. What if he rejected him? It would not only be too awkward, but also hurt him to see him so soon on their afternoon class after that. And he wanted to delay the verdict as long as possible, starting to feel that maybe this uncertainty was better than a broken heart. Or maybe it wasn't, since both weren't healthy for his heart.

"Hey dude, what's up?" Jackson suddenly appeared, his loud voice jolted him on his seat. Jackson then sat beside him. "Why do you look so gloomy? It's only the beginning of the day! And hey, it's your birthday man!"

Jaebum just took a deep sigh. His friend's cheerfulness was usually contagious, but seemed like it didn't work this time. "I wish I can just skip this day and begin tomorrow already."

Jackson gave him an understanding look. "Is it about Jinyoung?"

Of course he would know. Jaebum had told him everything about Jinyoung. He would've been forced to meet a psychiatrist already if he were to contain it all inside him without sharing it to someone. Jaebum nodded.

"Don't worry, I think he likes you too, Jaebum."

"How can you tell?"

"My instinct told me so." There his famous high-pitched laugh filling the class, drawing others' attention. Jaebum didn't even have the energy to hush him. "Why don't you go see him after this?"

"I already asked him out for dinner later, it would be weird to asked him for lunch too." Jaebum really hated how he sound so foolishly helpless. Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Just go see him, dude. Stop overthinking things."

Jaebum took a very long, deep, heavy sigh that might make him passed as a saxophonist. "Yeah, maybe it's better for me to do that." Jackson agreed by nodding with all his power Jaebum afraid his neck might break.

And that was how he found himself standing in front of Jinyoung's class a few hours later. He was about to call out to him when he realized Jinyoung wasn't alone. There was a girl he knew Jinyoung used to have a crush for, standing in front of him. Something in the air held Jaebum back from interrupting.

Suddenly, he saw Jinyoung leaned forward to wrap his arms around her waist, the girl put her hands on his jaw, and their lips met in the middle. And it seemed like oxygen had disappeared from around him. That, or he had lost his ability to breath.

Whatever it was, he quickly tore his eyes off of the sight and ran. He didn't know where to, he just wanted to be anywhere but that place. He didn't know how many people he bumped into, he never stopped to hear them complained. He just kept running until his legs losing all their strength and he was on the ground, kneeling with tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

\--

 

The afternoon class had already started, but Jaebum was nowhere in sight. Jinyoung tried to chat him many times, but the read sign never appeared. Jaebum always made sure to tell him if he couldn't attend a class. He began to worry. Many possibilities run through his head, and along with passing hours, he became more scared and panicked.

Jinyoung took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. As soon as the lecturer announced the end of his lecture, he ran off looking for one person he thought might know of Jaebum's whereabout. And he saw him walking between the crowd.

"Jackson!" Jinyoung called out. The said boy stopped on his track and turned around, and Jinyoung would've notice his change of expression if he didn't get too happy to see him after running around looking for him.

"Do you..." Jinyoung stopped, trying to catch his breath before continuing, "Do you know where Jaebum is? We're supposed to have a class together, but he didn't come. I sent him messages but he didn't read it."

"He didn't want to see you," Jackson said bluntly, and Jinyoung was frozen, too shaken up with the unexpected answer, "And don't even bother to come for your dinner. He wouldn't be there."

Jackson turned again to walk away while Jinyoung hadn't manage to heal from his shocked state. When he did, he ran to stop Jackson again.

"Wait, why? What have I done? I haven't even seen him today. Why does he not want to see me?" Jinyoung said, demanding explanation. And he was surprised to see anger in the other's eyes.

"Then you shouldn't have given him hopes when you already have a girlfriend! What, is it fun for you to crush someone's hopes after hanging it up so high? I didn't expect you to be such a cruel person. Turns out I was wrong."

It took Jinyoung aback to see the burst of anger from Jackson, but what shocked him more was the words coming out from his mouth. He was beyond speechless, and Jackson left him standing there like a statue.

_Wait, a girlfriend? Since when do I... oh._

Jinyoung finally come to realization. He suddenly felt like all the bones inside him had disappeared as he slumped down to the ground, earning weird glances and stares he didn't notice from the people around him. He finally got it.

Jaebum had seen him with Jiwoo. And he might even saw them kissing.

_Oh, God._

Jinyoung ran again, this time to Jaebum's apartment. He repeatedly knocked the door, on the verge of banging it. And when he was sure Jaebum wasn't there, which meant no one would be inside since he lived alone, he stopped knocking. He felt his clothes being dragged up by the friction against the door as he slid down, sitting on the floor, filled with regret.

_\--_

His phone kept ringing. Jaebum knew who they were from. It made him all the more depressed, so he turned it off. He just wanted to drown his sorrowful feelings with drinks. He didn't want to think about him anymore.

However, no matter how much drinks he had, no matter how much his body had swayed when he walked, his mind was still sober. At least sober enough to remember how that person's eyes crinkled on the corner when he smiled, how his lips jutted out when he got annoyed, how they tasted like when he kissed him when he thought he was sleeping. And then he remembered when those lips were on that girl's. He wanted to bang his head to the wall. Maybe only then he wouldn't remember anymore.

He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall of the bar he sat in. A few minutes had passed from midnight.

The day had ended. And he had his answer in the way it hurt the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I actually wrote this story determined for it to be a complete fluff, but I really can't help my angsty nature T.T There's still a epilogue chapter though, let's see which part of me would win, the angel or the devil hahaaa. Hope you enjoy this chapter :))


	6. Countdown Extended (D+1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said before that there's only epilogue chapter left, but it become too long to be just a epilogue, so I decided to add one more chapter. It's even the longest chapter in this work hahaaa. I hope you like it :))

Some steady noise slowly being processed by Jaebum’s mind. It started off quiet, but it went louder along with the consciousness that was slowly return to him. He opened his eyes to find Jackson snoring beside him, still in his dreamland. He groaned as he felt the wave of hangover hit him hard.

“You deserved it, man.” Jackson murmured, and yawned. “Just how many bottles you had last night? I’ve never seen you so beaten down before.”

“How did I get here?” Jaebum asked with a hoarse voice, ignoring the question.

“Well, you know how I befriended the bartender of that bar the last time we went there, right? Mark, that’s his name, woke me up at wee hours with a call, saying that my beloved friend was drinking his ass off and seemed like his consciousness flew away along with his mind. So as a good friend, I went despite the cold winter night and brought you to my apartment so I can continue my sleep.”

Oh yeah, he remembered it now. Jackson, being the easygoing person he was, always made friends with people anytime and anywhere, and the bartender was no exception since they frequently went to the bar. Moreover, since it seemed like the always over-spirited boy had a crush to the bartender.

“Are you sure you didn’t just want to impress your Mark?” Jaebum snickered, and Jaebum groaned as he was pushed out of the warm bed to the cold floor by a not-so-gentle kick from Jackson.

“Ugh, be a little gentle to your recently heartbroken friend, would you?” Jaebum grunted, throwing a pillow to Jackson.

“Whatever, just let me sleep more.” Jackson rolled his eyes and turned his back to Jaebum.

“Hey, do you know where my phone is?”

“In your jacket, drunkard.”

Jaebum reached to his jacket that was carelessly thrown to the floor supposedly by Jackson.  He fished out his phone from the pocket, and turned it on. He felt a twinge in his heart when he saw the notifications to dozens of missing calls and chat messages from one person. The chat messages started from him asking why he didn’t attend the class, then many apologies and pleas for him to talk, and he felt his heart stopped when he reached the end to the train of chats.

**I’ll wait in front of your apartment until you come home.**

He quickly picked up his jacket and rushed outside. He ran to his apartment, skipping two stairs a step as he went up. However, when the door of his apartment was finally in sight, he saw no one. The disappointment further broke his heart. Of course he wouldn’t be here anymore. Why would he wait all night only for someone he didn’t even like? Jaebum was a total fool for hoping. He sighed and walk to the door, not expecting to see a little box decorated by a bow and a piece of paper under. He picked them up to read the note.

**Happy Birthday!**

**I’ll be back. We really need to talk.**

**I beg you.**

Jaebum didn’t know what to feel about it. So he really did wait for him, and he would be back. _But just what does he desperately want to tell me? To explain how he didn’t have any feelings toward me because he already had another? To hammer another nails through my heart?_ Jaebum thought bitterly. Even now it felt like his heart was being pricked all over again.

He took the key from his pocket and opened the door. He cursed when the hangover that was once forgotten kicked back in. But maybe he should’ve felt grateful, because the throbbing inside his head had overshadowed the ache in his heart, numbed it into a dull pain. He discarded the unopened gift and crumpled notes on a table, then proceeded to throw himself on his bed without even bothering to change his clothes. He closed his eyes, and all the pain he felt slowly faded into darkness.

 

\--

 

When Jaebum wake up, it was already passed lunchtime. His stomach rumbled as he forced himself out of bed and took a shower. He reeked of sweat and alcohol, and he wasn’t going to spend the rest of the day smelling like that. He didn’t feel like cooking, so after putting on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and hoodie, he called for a delivery. His heart still felt too heavy to do anything, so he lied down and put his earphones on his ears, letting himself being engulfed by the music played by his phone, hoping it would help him felt better even just a little bit.

About ten minutes later though, he could hear a knock on the door. It surprised him a little since it usually took about thirty minutes from the call for the delivery to come. He get up to open the door, but the one he saw on the other side of the door wasn’t the delivery boy he was waiting for.

“What do you want?”

It sounded harsher than he intended. He could saw Jinyoung flinched a bit hearing the tone of his voice. He could barely hear him muttering “We need to talk,” muffled by the red knitted scarf that wrapped his neck to his nose. Now that his anger fuelled by surprise calmed down a little, he could see that the other’s eyes were unfocused, and he looked like he could fall down anytime.

“Get in.”

Jaebum stepped aside to let the boy inside. Jinyoung swayed a little when he walked in. It started to make Jaebum felt concerned. He wanted to ask if he was alright, but he held back. There was no chair or sofa in Jaebum’s apartment, so Jinyoung sat on the bed. Jaebum stood leaning on the wall, his arms crossed on his chest. They stay in silence for a while, unmoved.

“Are you not going to remove your scarf? You said you want to talk, and I can’t hear you through it.”

He could see the boy contemplated for a moment before hesitantly moved his hands to start removing the thick scarf, revealing the mask he was wearing underneath. Jaebum’s eyes widened, he could now hear the other coughing once in every few minutes.

“Lie down.”

Jinyoung looked up at him, startled and confused. “Huh?”

“I said lie down. You’re obviously in no condition to talk about anything, and I can’t send you home like that. You can go home after you feel better.”

“No, we have to talk. You have to hear me out,” Jinyoung said with hoarse voice, sounding desperate. Jaebum clenched his teeth.

“Okay then, I’ll hear whatever shit you wanted me to hear after you rest. Now, lie down.”

When Jinyoung was still hesitant, Jaebum walked to him and pushed his shoulder to the bed, then proceeded to cover him with the blanket. He sat on the floor, leaning to the edge of the bed. He reached for his phone and put on his earphones again, trying to ignore Jinyoung’s presence in his room. But he couldn’t, not when he could feel the other’s intense gaze on the back of his head.

“Close your eyes.” Jaebum said. And he didn’t feel the stare anymore.

A few minutes later, when put down his earphone and turned to look at the sick boy, he was already asleep. Jaebum removed the mask covering his mouth and nose and put it beside the pillow so he could breathe easier. He put his palm on Jinyoung’s forehead, and it was burning hot, just like what he had expected. He took a deep sigh, giving himself a mental slap. _Am I that much of an idiot, to still getting concerned over him and think his sleeping face is adorable, even after all he has done?_

He searched for a cooling patch in his apartment. He was sure he still had some of them left after he was down with a fever for a few days last month. After rummaging around for a while, trying to be as quiet as possible, he found it inside the kitchen cabinet. He attached it on Jinyoung’s forehead, resisting the urge to stroke his hair or even worse, kiss him. So he settled for staring at the sleeping face, with every minutes spent stood as additional needles piercing through his heart. _What are you, a masochist?_ Jaebum thought with a painful smile, mocking himself.

 

\--

 

Jinyoung opened his eyes to find Jaebum still on the same spot as when he told him to close his eyes, wearing his earphones. The differences were there was a dirty dish sitting beside Jaebum, his mask was gone, and there was something cold and soothing attached to his forehead. He smiled, glad the other still care about him. He then noticed the unopened gift and crumpled paper he left behind earlier on the table across the bed. His heart clenched, draining the faint smile that was formed by his lips before.

He stared again at the back of Jaebum’s head, wishing the boy would turn his head and smiled brightly at him, as he usually does. But as it was, it would only remain a vain hope. So he pulled the cord of the earphone off of his left ear, and succeeded on making the other turned his face to him, only to find the look of surprise on his eyes quickly turned into one of indifference. It broke his heart to see Jaebum look at him that way.

“Oh, you’ve woken up,” Jaebum said while he pulled on the other side of the earphones and get up to put the dirty dish in the sink. But Jinyoung tugged on his hoodie, stopping him from walking away.

“I love you, Jaebum.”

Jinyoung didn’t know when his tears started dwelling up. He didn’t even understand what he wanted to achieve with blurting it out like that, knowing Jaebum would still be too hurt to just believe him. He just couldn’t contain it anymore. He was afraid Jaebum would reject him and pushed him away, but he neither moved nor said anything. He didn’t know if it was a good or bad sign.

“Am I too late? Sorry, I waited until early morning but my mom called, nagging me to come home after realizing I wasn’t home last night without notice. So I figured I’d go home and come back here as fast as possible. However I was down with fever as soon as I get home, and she wouldn’t let me leave. I waited for a chance to slip away and here I am. I know it sounds like an excuse but it really is what happened. Won’t you believe me?”

At this point, the pillow he rested his head on was already damped with his tears, and his cries only worsened his coughs. He shut his eyes. The silence that followed was choking him, so did the fear of losing Jaebum. He would do anything to prevent that, yet he didn’t know what he should do. Then he felt the bed shifted due to the added weight on the edge. He opened his eyes, finding Jaebum sitting beside him, but still facing away from him. He could barely hear the question thrown by the other.

“Then why did you kiss that girl?”

“No, I didn’t! She confessed to me and I reject her. She asked for a hug so I did, but she suddenly kissed me. That’s all, trust me,” Jinyoung managed to say between his sobs. He was so desperate. He had told him everything, all that was left for him to do was hoping Jaebum would believe him. Then he felt a familiar warm hand touched his cheek and wipe his tears. He looked up. Relief washed over him when he saw the smile he missed so much again on Jaebum’s face. Jaebum leaned to squeeze him in his arms, and his warm breath was blowing to his ear as he said, “I believe you.”

He cried again on Jaebum’s shoulder, this time from happiness and relief. He was so grateful to feel his gentle hand stroking his hair again, patting his back. But when Jaebum was about to kiss him, Jinyoung blocked his mouth with his hand. He could see the confusion and hurt on the other’s eyes, and he quickly explained.

“You’ll catch my flu, idiot.”

Jaebum laughed, and the sound was comforting. Jinyoung had thought he could never hear it anymore, so he smiled so wide his cheeks almost hurt when he did. Jaebum took the mask he was wearing earlier, and put it on his mouth before kissing him. He closed his eyes as he felt the pressure of the other’s lips through the roughness of the fabric. He opened it again when Jaebum pulled away and grunted, “Ugh forget it.” He discarded the mask and kissed him again.

The kiss was so sweet it could melt him, and so deep he could’ve been drowned. The fluttering feeling in his stomach he felt when he first kissed the other was back. He was so happy. Now everything felt right. The kiss went for a while before he felt Jaebum smiled on his lips and pulled away again with his usual mischievous smirk on his face that often annoyed him before, but now made his heart skipped a beat.

“If I catch your flu, you just need to take responsibility and nurse me to health.”

Jinyoung laughed so hard and said, “At your service, sir.”

What he wouldn’t do for Jaebum now.


	7. After Countdown (Epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the last. Hope you enjoy it :))

When Jinyoung woke up this morning, he was in a bliss. Yes, his body was still sluggish and his head still felt heavy from yesterday’s fever and sleep, but he was happy like he never had before. Smile decorated his face as soon as he opened his eyes to Jaebum’s sleeping face, one of his arms on his waist. It brought back the memories of the first time he saw it at the library, the first time he kissed the other out of curiosity. He felt the temperature of his own face rising, and he knew for sure it wasn’t from the fever since it had cooled down from last night.

He ended up spending the night at Jaebum’s place, under the excuse of being too weak to go home. He had also called his mother so she wouldn’t freak out again. In that short time, he was already so deep in love with Jaebum he wondered how he couldn’t realize that before. He would lose him and regret it for his whole life if he kept himself in his own foolishness, and he had to give Jiwoo the credit for that.

_“I like you, Jinyoung.”_

_Another confession from another unexpected person that took him aback. He knew he wasn’t dislikeable, but he never thought of himself as popular. Of course someone had confessed to him before, but it was only one in two years or even more, never two in a matter of days like this. And confessions never gave him as much headache as these._

_If it was four days ago, he would gladly jump and accept her confession. Even though the crush he had for her had long faded, it still could come back, right? But not after Jaebum brought storm to his life. He couldn’t accept Jiwoo when his heart and mind both filled with the boy._

_“Sorry, Jiwoo, I… I think I already have someone I like.”_

_Jiwoo raised her eyebrow. “You_ think _?”_

_Jinyoung felt her stare piercing a hole into him as he looked down. “I… I’m still not sure if I really love that person, but…” he let the rest of his words faded into air._

_He heard Jiwoo sighed. “Can I at least ask for a hug, then?”_

_The question caught him by surprise that he looked up at Jiwoo. He hesitated, but he already felt guilty for rejecting her, so he complied. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. However, as soon as he got closer, Jiwoo held his face in place so he couldn’t face away and kiss him. It was the last thing he expected she would do because he never took her as someone so bold. He was so shocked it took a while for him to process what had happened before he pulled away._

_“What was that?” Jinyoung asked, his tone got higher because he was too flustered. And he couldn’t believe Jiwoo could still put on an indifferent face. She even smiled at him._

_“It pissed me off to be rejected by a vague answer like that. Take it as a small revenge.”_

_Jinyoung couldn’t quite accept it, but he didn’t say anything because he knew she was right. He was in the wrong._

_“That person you’re talking about… does she like you too?” Jiwoo suddenly asked. Jinyoung blushed at the question. Why did she have to be so unpredictable today? But she deserved the truth, so he quietly nodded._

_“Has she confessed to you?” Getting redder, Jinyoung nodded again. Jiwoo’s eyes widen in disbelief._

_“And you’re still so hesitant like this? Do you hang her on?” Jinyoung nodded again, now getting more and more embarrassed with guilty as an addition._

_“God, I guess I’m lucky. At least I was rejected right away. I really pity her.”_

_Silence filled the air. Jinyoung was filled with guilty. What he did to Jaebum was indeed unfair. He was too ashamed to look at Jiwoo, so he didn’t know what kind of expression she put on. But then he heard her letting out a frustrated sigh._

_“Okay, I’ll do this because I really do pity her, and I want this to be clear so I can leave it all behind me, even though it annoys me. Listen, have you kissed her?”_

_Jinyoung remembered when he stole a kiss from Jaebum back in the library, and he nodded again. He seemed to have lost his voice to guilt and embarrassment._

_“How does it feel?”_

_The memories of those feelings came back to him again. The fast beatings of his heart as if it was about to break away. The butterflies that filled his stomach with honey. He kept silent, getting overwhelmed by the reminiscence of those feelings, but she didn’t seem to mind. Maybe she could already read it on his face, as he was never one that could control his expression._

_“And what about when I kiss you?”_

_The memories shifted. He remembered feeling taken aback, but nothing more. It was completely different from when he kissed Jaebum. Guess she could see it again on his face since she said, “See? Isn’t it already clear that you like her?”_

_Now that someone else had stated it for him, he felt more certain. Actually it was all already in his mind, but hesitations held him back. But the moment Jiwoo said it, every hesitations vanished to the air, like they were never even exist before. And he felt like a fool for even having them in the first place. And now he couldn’t even wait for the dinner. He wanted to tell him as soon as possible. He finally looked up with a smile._

_“Thanks, Jiwoo. And I’m sorry.”_

_Jiwoo smiled back at him. “See you then.”_

_And she left._

Jaebum stirred, bringing Jinyoung back to the present. Jaebum leaned forward and their lips meet briefly before he murmured a good morning with a lazy smile. He pulled Jinyoung closer, settling his chin above his head. They were so close Jinyoung could hear the steady beat the other’s heart made. The heart that was now his.

His attention shifted to the necklace that rested on Jaebum’s neck since last night. It was a plain silver chain without any pendant, beaming with the reflection of the sunshine that seeped through the window. That was also his, precisely his birthday gift for him. He actually bought it before Jaebum confessed. He didn’t know why he bought the necklace back then. It wasn’t common for a boy to buy a necklace for another boy no matter how close they were, even though he thought it would look nice on Jaebum. Maybe even back then he wanted to tie Jaebum to him, without him realizing it.

He kissed the crook of Jaebum’s neck, feeling the contrast between the cold, hard, rough silver and the warm, soft, smooth skin with his lips. He heard the other humming low as he did, and he moved to kiss his throat, feeling the vibration through the layers of skin. The vibration got stronger as Jaebum chuckled before pulling away to plant his lips on his forehead.

“Stop it, will you? I’m trying hard not to attack a sick person here, you know.”

Jinyoung laughed, and snuggled closer to the other boy. He felt content, so happy his heart was about to burst. It seemed like the desperation he experienced the other night was only an illusion. The harsh tone, the cold eyes, the indifferent face, everything was just a nightmare. A nightmare he was grateful of having. Of course it was thanks to Jiwoo he finally certain he was in love with Jaebum, but the fear and anxiety he went through was what made him realize the depth of his feelings, how important the other was for him.  He was so scared of losing his love right after he found it. He already felt that much only one day after realizing his love, he couldn't imagine how much suffering Jaebum went through.

“You’ve wait for too long, right?”

Jaebum didn’t answer, he only held Jinyoung tighter. Jinyoung hugged him too in response.

“I’m so sorry. I was lost for such a long time.”

He leaned back to meet Jaebum’s gaze. He could see the memories of every pain the other felt flashed back, reflected in his eyes. He cupped Jaebum’s cheek with a hand, stroking it gently with his thumb.

“Don’t worry now, I won’t ever leave again.”

Jinyoung kissed Jaebum again, a long, deep one, as if he wanted to suck away all the pain he had caused from the other boy.

“I love you.”

And now he would never ever let Jaebum go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that GOT7's latest comeback, Never Ever, is a perfect fit for this story when I wrote the last dialogue. I was like, "Wait, I think I've heard this before somewhere," and the song just played by itself in my mind. I was just so amazed by the coincidence since I started this work even before their comeback was announced, so I put some of the lyrics on the dialogue. Sorry I spent too much on the flashback, I just felt that it was needed to explain how Jinyoung finally admit that he loves Jaebum. Thanks for reading! And also thanks for everyone giving kudos and comments on this work. Sorry I wasn't able to respond to each one of the comments, since I can't reply them without spoiling the story T_T Again, thank you so much for reading :))

**Author's Note:**

> Changed it to a series because suddenly I wanted to make a sequel. It's Markson centric though, because JJP had reached their happiness XD Hope you'd like it too :))


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